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Lorne Bowman of Orchard Lake St. Mary's recently committed to Wisconsin and he comes into the 2018-19 boys basketball season as the top-ranked player in Oakland County. (For The Oakland Press / LARRY McKEE)

BOYS HOOPS PREVIEW: Oakland County's top 40 players

Lorne Bowman of Orchard Lake St. Mary's recently committed to Wisconsin and he comes into the 2018-19 boys basketball season as the top-ranked player in Oakland County. (For The Oakland Press / LARRY McKEE)

With boys basketball beginning a week earlier this year, the season tips off in just a handful of hours. Here's a look at the top players in Oakland County entering the 2018-19 season.

1. Lorne Bowman (Orchard Lake St. Mary’s Jr. G) – Committed to Wisconsin, Bowman is a 6-foot-2 gunner of a combo guard and possibly the top shooter in the state. He averaged 22 points per game as a sophomore.

2. Donavan Moore (West Bloomfield Sr. G) – Signed with Toledo, Moore is a 6-foot-3 silky-smooth southpaw who is one of the most dynamic slashers in the state. He poured in 21 points per game last year after landing in the area from Chicago in the summer of 2017.

3. Julian Roper (Birmingham Detroit Country Day Soph. G/F) – Maybe the No. 1 player in the state’s whole sophomore class, Roper (6-foot-5) is a rare gem on the wing. Already owns Big Ten scholarship offers and can score in a variety of ways.

4. Maliq Carr (Oak Park Jr. F) – The best two-sport stud in Oakland County and a beast in the frontcourt for the Knights, Carr is being recruited at the Division I level in both basketball and football as a wide receiver.

5. Jaden Akins (Farmington Soph. G) – Probably the No. 1 guard in the sophomore class, Akins is a do-everything floor general and all-around gym rat. He averaged 16 points, 4 assists and 5 rebounds as a freshman in 2018.

6. Jiovanni Miles (Novi Sr. G/F) – Lightning quick and explosive guard-forward combo who helped lead the Wildcats to the Class A final four last season.

7. Tariq Shepherd (Farmington Sr. G) – Transfer from Detroit East English Village, Shepherd was an All-PSL pick last winter and is a fundamentally-sound combo guard who shoots, finishes and distributes extremely well.

8. Matt Nicholson (Clarkston Jr. C) – The next great big guy in Clarkston cage lore, Nicholson saw limited minutes on the past two Wolves Class A state championships squads, but is expected to have a breakout campaign in 2019. He’s already attracting interest from the Big Ten.

9. Jayshawn Moore (Ferndale Jr. F) – Transfer from Detroit East English Village, the long and lanky Moore makes sweet music on the wing.

10. Da’Jion “Bubba” Humphrey (Southfield Christian G) – The 6-foot-3 bulldog of a guard-forward combo helped take Southfield Christian to a Class D state championship last March and now steps to the forefront of the Eagles’ high-paced attack with the transfers of 4-star recruit Harlond Beverly to a prep school in Florida (Montverde Academy) and point guard Caleb Hunter, who moved to the Catholic League (U-D Detroit Jesuit).

11. Sudi McElroy (Ferndale Sr. G) – Transfer from Detroit East English Village, McElroy is a lights-out sniper from deep.

12. Simon Wheeler (Ferndale Soph. G) – Transfer from Detroit East English Village, Wheeler has exceptional floor vision and is one of the best point guards in the state’s Class of 2021.

14. Gunnar Gustafson (Milford Sr. C) – The No. 1 post player in the LVC, Gustafson (6-foot-8) is a workhorse in the middle and tough as nails on both ends of the court. He averaged 15 points and 10 rebounds per game last year.

15. Colin Gholson (Ferndale Soph. F/C) – Transfer from Detroit East English Village, Golson is a wide-body bruiser on the blocks who attacks the rim with ferocity and hits the boards hard.

16. Davis Lukomski (Novi Detroit Catholic Central Sr. F) – Not many better inside-outside threats in Metro Detroit, Lukomski (6-foot-6) will captain a veteran Shamrocks club expected to contend for a Catholic League title in 2019.

18. Cameron McEvans (Southfield A&T Sr. G) – Ripped the nets for more than 20 points per night as a junior and could be the most underrated offensive threat in the area.

19. Brody Parker (Troy Soph. G) – A natural scorer with a super-high hoops IQ, Parker will be one of the most dangerous offensive weapons in the OAA for the next three years.

20. Ethan Emerzian (Rochester Adams Soph. G) – Hard-nosed and intelligent floor general who averaged 16 points per game as a fab frosh in a 2018 season where he led Adams to a Class A district title on the heels of a winless 2017 campaign.